Samhain

Samhain is generally referred to as the day marking the end of Summer and the Harvest Season in the beliefs of the ancient Celts, a transition between the Light and Dark halves of the Gaulish calender.

As the people were traditionally pastoral, this also marked the period where the livestock to be slaughtered in preparation for the coming winter was decided. It was said that on the night of Samhain, the boundaries between the world of the living and the dead became blurred, allowing spirits to wander the Earth. To the Celts who were dependent on the natural world, the presence of these spirits were believed to aid their Druids in making more accurate prophecies to tide them through the long, harsh winter.

Festivities, feasts and rituals have usually been associated with Samhain, with the Celts supposedly donning costumes as part of the celebrations. Bonfires were also lit in order for purification rituals to be conducted as well as to ward off malicious spirits, perhaps even for the sacrifice of animals to certain deities. Certain customs also dictated that specific areas be set aside for the dead at the Samhain Feast.

Perhaps unknown to most people is the fact that Samhain seems to be the basis of what is better known today as Halloween.